Memories of Khmer Rouge Genocide in Phnom Penh

Caution: There are some fairly graphic photos and descriptions in this post.

It seems that Aaron and I often travel to countries that have a history of war. We've seen the remnants of Nazi Germany, war prisons in Czechoslovakia, the Churchill War Rooms in London, and just a few days before our time in Phnom Penh, the Hanoi Hilton. The morning tours today (December 29, 2015) forced us to confront the truths of a very recent genocide - the murderous Khmer Rouge in Cambodia during the late 1970's (although war continued in parts of the country until the late 90's). To prepare for this portion of the trip, I'd read a variety of memoirs from survivors of the Khmer Rouge.

The recency of these atrocities was a lot to take in. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge, under the command of Pol Pot, invaded Phnom Penh. Within days, they had cleared the entire city by marching all citizens to the countryside to begin an agrarian, collectivist society. 2.2 million people were forced from their homes and carried what they could on the long march until they were told to stop. Many government workers and highly-educated people were killed because they were seen as a threat to the regime. Disobedience was generally met with a cruel death.

The Killing Fields

During the three years and eight months that the Khmer Rouge was in power (Vietnam liberated Phnom Penh in 1979), over 25% of Cambodia's population was murdered. One of the memorials to this horrible genocide is the Killing Fields historical site, and that was our first stop on this day.

At the entrance to the site, you first come upon a mausoleum filled with skulls of people who were killed here. They are color coded with labels based on age and cause of death. There are so many...

Our group brought a flower arrangement to place at the memorial, and we had a moment of silence for the victims. I can only imagine what it is like for our guides to come here every week or two. They're in their 20's/30's, born during the tail end of the Khmer Rouge era.

The rest of the tour literally took us through the Killing Field. Thousands and thousands of people were brought here to be killed and buried in mass graves. The photo above is a fully excavated grave. Signs are placed nearby indicating how many bodies were recovered. The hills and valleys (picture below) are mass graves, with thousands of bodies buried just below the surface.

When it rains, bone fragments and clothing are uncovered, and are easily visible to visitors. This was so hard to see.

The large trees in this area are left here for more than just shade. They are a chilling reminder of the horrific torture of the people who were brought here. The Khmer Rouge didn't always use bullets. When they murdered innocent small children, they bashed their heads against trees, sometimes in front of their parents, and then threw their lifeless bodies into the pits. Humans did this. Just a few decades ago. This is what true disregard for human life looks like.

If you find a bone fragment on the marked path, you're asked to pick it up and place it at the base of a pole so it can be added to the display later. These are human teeth that were found on the path.

After about an hour at the Killing Fields, we re-boarded the bus and moved toward our next stop, which was just as sobering.

Genocide Museum (S21 Prison)

Shortly after invading Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge turned a local high school into a prison. Here over 17,000 inmates (mostly government workers, highly-skilled professionals, and anyone suspected of being a regime dissident) were tortured and killed. During intake, prisoners were photographed and interviewed, so there is a full history of who passed through the gates of S21. The conditions are deplorable, and it's reported that only eleven people survived. We met one of the survivors, Bou Meng, and purchased his memoir. He was kept alive because he was a talented artist and he was forced to paint portraits of Pol Pot.

Bou Meng, survivor of S21

There was a special exhibit about the five Khmer Rouge leaders that are currently being charged and prosecuted for war crimes. We did not get to soak up all the history we would have liked here, as we were rushed out of the museum to join the rest of our tour group, who were anxious to leave.

Goodbye, Cambodia

We made our way back to the river, and then we had to say goodbye to our guides, since we would be crossing the border to Vietnam on the Mekong later that afternoon. Pharoth was an excellent guide, and I wish him the best as he continues to pursue a career in tourism.

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